Fence and gate brace tightener.



(Application filed Mar. 8, 1901.)

(No Model.)

cm, a. c.

THE NORRIS pzrsns 00,, Puo'roumm WASNINGT UNITED STATES PATENT 'EEICE.

JOHN R. WRIGHT, OF VVHEELING, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO S. \V. HAYNES, OF WHEELING, MISSOURI.

FENCE AND GATE BRACE TIGHTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,661, dated October 29, 1901. Application filed March 8, 1901. Serial No. 50,362. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN R. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wheeling, in the county of Livingstone and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFence and Gate Brace Tighteners, of which the following is a specification. V,

This invention relates. to fence and gate brace tighteners; and the object of the invention is to provide a simple, economical, and effective device for maintaining the braces of a gate or section of wire fence rigid and perinanen t, thereby holding the wires of the fence taut and preventing sagging or loosening of the gate.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for keeping the free end .of the gate'clear of the ground, thus permittingthe gate to swing easily upon its hinges.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective View of a section of wire fence with gate, showing my invention applied. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the notched lever or strut employed in my invention. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the hooked clevis employed in the gate brace and tightener. Fig. 4 is an edge view of Fig. 3.

In an end panel of fence of any usual constructionsuch as the one shown in the drawing, which comprises an end post 1, an adjoining post 2, and a series of wires 3 3 3, with a cable or truss 4 connecting the top of post 2 with the base of the end post 1-my brace 5 is applied. By notches or other'suitable means it is connected to the upper end of the end post and to the base portion of the adjoining post, crossing the truss or cable 4. This brace acts to reinforce the action of the truss 4, as is well understood.

In order to tighten the truss-wire 4 and maintain it in a taut condition, I have provided a novel arrangement consisting of a strut or wedge 6, arranged in the angle between the truss 4 and the brace 5 to deflect the truss, and thereby tighten it. The said strut 6 is conveniently notched or forked at one end, as at 7, to engage thetruss-wire 4, and the rigid brace 5 is provided with a series of ratchet-like teeth 8 upon its upper and shown in Fig. 1, in which the invention is employed as a gate-brace tightener. The truss-wire 4 is attached to the upper and lower portions of the hinged and free ends of the gate, respectively, and is stretched diagonally across the gate. In this application the second top bar of the gate 9 is used in place of the brace 5 and is provided near one of its ends with the ratchet-like teeth 8, in which the tapered foot of the notched strut 6 is adj ustably engaged, while the notched end of the said strut engages the cable, as hereinbefore' described. The operation of the tightener in this modification is the same as in that of the fence-brace tightener, except that an additional tightener is employed, which will now be described. Near the foot of the truss-wire 4 a double-hooked clevis 10 is slidably hung upon one of the lower gatebars, its double hooks engaging the trusswire and its single hook being hung over the gate-bar on which it is employed. By sliding the clevis along the gate-bar the truss wire or cable is further deflected, thereby additionally tightening the gate-brace.

It will be readily seen that the strut 6 may be varied in form to suit various conditions as, for instance, it may be notched at both ends to engage the cable and brace, if so desired-and I do not, therefore, wish to be understood as limiting myself to the specific form of strut shown in the accompanying drawings.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a wire fence, with the posts of the truss or cable diagonally connecting the fence-posts, the brace-bar fixed to said posts diagonally and crossing the cable and having two sets of notches therein, and the struts operated between the two sets of notches and the cable to tighten the latter.

2. The combination, in a fence comprising posts and wires, of the truss having one end secured to the top of one post and the other end secured to the bottom of the adjacent post, the brace-bar crossing the truss diagonally and having its ends attached to said posts, notches in the under face of the brace near one end thereof, like notches in the upper face of the brace near the other end thereof, and the struts having each a pointed end to engage the said notches and a forked end to engage the truss.

3. The combination, in a wire fence, with the posts of a brace-bar crossing the fencepanel diagonally and having its ends secured to the posts of the panel and provided with teeth pointing upwardly and downwardly to form top and bottom notches in the bracebar, a truss or cable attached to said posts and crossing said bar diagonally to form with the posts angle-openings between the bar and the cable, and struts operated in said openings and against said teeth to tighten the cable. In Witness whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN R. WRIGHT; Witnesses:

H. M. MORRISON, S. F. HAYNES. 

